Thoughts from someone who remembers when we respected our president and enjoyed the esteem of the world; when our airwaves weren't polluted by rancid, hate-filled diatribes of reckless talking heads; when our Senators and Representatives legislated first for the good of the nation and not special interest agendas; when religion was spiritual, not political; and, the rights of women were respected, not constantly under attack by political panderers. We can do better.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Gov. Branstad Knows Best

If you happen to be a poor woman living in Iowa and on Iowa's form of Medicaid, you'll have to get permission from Governor Terry Branstad if you choose to lawfully end your pregnancy, as reported in The Des Moines Register today.

A provision of the newly signed state-sponsored Iowa Health and Wellness Plan gives Brandstad the "final say on whether to pay for abortion services provided under the program."

He admitted it was a political compromise.... read far-right demand.... but that "he was comfortable with the new responsibility."

Here is how he explains this indignity.... Branstad, who is a member of the Catholic faith, said "he would seek advice from medical experts when required to make a determination on whether state dollars would be spent on an abortion."

So poor women of Iowa, it's obvious Branstad thinks you're not only poor, but morally inferior and stupid, and thus incapable making a decision on this personal, very personal, health care right.

Where is the ACLU when we need them? Isn't this an abridgment of not only the First and Fourth Amendments of the U. S. Constitution, but it also nullifies the intent of Roe vs Wade to protect a woman's reproductive rights.

It's nice that Branstad is comfortable with his ultimate veto power over this most personal of decisions, but the women of Iowa should be up-in-arms at the idea of another old white far-right male imposing his anti-choice religious views on them, by Iowa law no less.

This also places Iowa in the unique position of being the only one of the 50 states to suffer this daddy-knows-best embarrassment.